La Libertad Avenue in the centre of Torrevieja has been closed to vehicles as part of the long-running redevelopment of the port area. Workers shut the final open lane linking the avenue with Ramón y Cajal Street at around 11am on Monday, meaning the stretch will now be pedestrianised except for authorised supply and emergency vehicles.

Traffic was quickly affected, with tailbacks reported from Capdepont Square to the junction of Rambla Juan Mateo and Ramón Gallud Street, including Pedro Lorca Street. Delivery lorries, tourist traffic and parked vehicles added to the congestion in the height of the summer season.

The project forms part of a wider remodelling first presented in 2022, when Mayor Eduardo Dolón proposed major underground roadworks estimated at 165 million euros. Those plans were later scaled back. Although private developers have completed the Paseo del Mar complex and its underground car park, critics say the council has not delivered the promised access improvements.

The council has invested more than 40 million euros in seafront infrastructure and describes the closure as progress, despite delays of over two years. A new extension pushes completion of the pedestrian fairground area to 10 September, although officials insist the summer fair can begin earlier at its traditional site.